'X-Men' game doesn't live up to movie hype

By the time you're done playing "X2: Wolverine's Revenge," you may want vengeance yourself on whoever decided to rush this thing out the door.

That's the drawback to recent efforts to release movie-themed video games around the same time as the films they're based on--in this case, "X2: X-Men United," which opened Friday.

While it serves to capitalize on the excitement surrounding the movie, the plan falters when the game doesn't feel complete, as in "Wolverine's Revenge." Particularly puzzling is that the plot--the game's best feature--has more to do with the comic book.

Players, as Wolverine, start out in 1968, when our hero realizes he's been the subject of secret government experiments. It then jumps to the present, when a deadly virus has been triggered in Wolverine, giving him 48 hours to find the antidote.

As Wolverine, you're given his full array of powers. You can unsheathe his deadly claws, and holding down a button gives him "heightened senses," allowing you to detect body heat and enemies' "scent trail" as well as the ability to move stealthily.

Wolverine also has a "feral" meter, which increases during combat until he unleashes a rage that gives him improved strength and quickness.

Mission objectives are often vague, and because players can save only at the end of a level, there's a lot of frustrating trial and error before figuring out what to do. Fighting is repetitive, and even the few innovations are automated, taking control away from the player.

Bottom line: You might be better off reading the comics instead. Unless you're a die-hard X-Men fan, this one is strictly a rental.